Rob and Doug Ford accuse Sketchy the Clown of stalking the mayor’s mother

(Image: Manjushree Thapa)

Apparently, every Rob Ford lookalike must have a ludicrous (although not necessarily ill-fitting) nickname. First there was Slurpy, who was asked to star in a counterfeitcrack video earlier in the spring. Now, there’s performer Dave McKay—better known asSketchy the Clown—who had an equally surreal run-in with the Fords while impersonating the mayor for a bizarre, hour-long Rofo Bus Tour on Sunday.

McKay’s acting gig required him to emerge from the Etobicoke woods where police watched Ford and Sandro Lisi drink vodka, and pretend to be drunk for groups of paying tourists. Unbeknownst to McKay, however, the quiet cul-de-sac he was using as a green room was next to the homes of Doug Ford and Ford matriarch, Diane. Cue the mayoral intimidation.

Doug was good-humoured when he initially came out to investigate, even posing for a few pictures. That changed when the mayor pulled up, at which point his driver informed McKay that “we are really displeased with what’s going on here.” That’s when Doug began circling, snapping photos of McKay and the license plates of the car he was waiting in. Doug also called the police, accusing McKay of “stalking” his mother. (Ford later told the Toronto Star, “Don’t come after my 80-year-old mother and stand there for four hours. And she’s wondering if it’s a stalker or it’s a lunatic or whatever. It’s unacceptable.”)

McKay left voluntarily, after which the Fords followed him in the mayor’s Cadillac Escalade for 15 minutes. The police eventually pulled McKay over and spoke to him, though no charges were laid and they haven’t followed up. Even so, the tour bus driver was nervous enough to resign, which temporarily puts a stop to the Rofo tour. The Fords’ tactics may be crude, but they do seem to work. [Toronto Star]